Improving the U.S. military's understanding of unstable environments vulnerable to violent extremist groups : : insights from social science / / David E. Thaler [and four others].

• Author: Thaler, David E.
• Place / Publishing House: Santa Monica, CA : : RAND,, [2013]; ©2013
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (201 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

For over a decade, operations associated with irregular warfare have placed large demands on U.S. ground forces and have led to development of new Army and Joint doctrine. This report helps analysts identify and assess twelve key factors that create and perpetuate environments susceptible to insurgency, terrorism, and other extremist violence and instability to inform military decisions on allocation of analytic and security assistance resources.

Table of Contents

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Preface; Abstract; Contents; Figures, Tables, and Box; Summary; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Chapter One: Introduction; Sociology and Anthropology in DoD's Irregular Warfare Context; Research Approach and Road Map to This Report; Chapter Two: Gaining Insights into Unstable, Conflict-Prone Environments Through Social Science Lenses; Introduction; Sociological Theories; Conflict Theory; Social Movement Theory; Social Network Theory; Institutional/Organizational Theory; Anthropological Theories; Cultures of Violence; Cultures of Independence and Resistance

Inequality and AggressionLocal Systems of Social Control, Kinship Ties, and Identity; Other Social Science Theories and Unstable Environments; Rational Choice Theory; Greed and Grievance Theories; Concluding Remarks; Chapter Three: Factors Associated with Environments Vulnerable to Conflict; Introduction; Methodology for Validating the List of Factors and Their Characteristics; Key Factors and Their Attributes; Factor 1: Level of External Support for Violent, Nonstate Groups; Factor 2: Extent to Which Government Considered Illegitimate or Ineffective by the Population

Factor 3: Presence of Tribal or Ethnic Indigenous Populations with History of Resisting State Rule, and/or Cultures That Encourage or Justify Violent BehaviorFactor 4: Levels of Absolute or Relative Poverty/Inequality; Presence of One or More Groups That Have Recently Lost Status or Power; Factor 5: Extent to Which Local Governance Is Fragmented or Nonexistent and Vulnerable to Co-Option from Insurgent Replacement Institutions; Factor 6: Existence of Ungoverned Space; Factor 7: Presence of Multiple Violent, Nonstate Groups Competing for Power

Factor 8: Level of Government Restriction on Political or Ideological Dissent Extent to Which Individuals Feel Alienated from Governing Process; Factor 9: Level of Consistency/Agreement Between Nonstate Group's Goals and Philosophy and Preferences/Worldview/Ideology of Target Populations; Factor 10: Extent to Which Population and Nonstate Groups Perceive Faltering Government Commitment to a Counterinsurgency Campaign; Factor 11: Capacity, Resources, and Expertise of Violent, Nonstate Groups

Factor 12: Pervasiveness of Social Networks Capable of Being Galvanized and Mobilized to Resistant ActionConcluding Remarks; Chapter Four: Relationships Among Factors: Peru and Nepal Case Studies; The Shining Path in Peru, 1980-1992; The Maoist Insurgency in Nepal, 1997-2006; Concluding Remarks; Chapter Five: Utilizing the Factors for Analysis; Metrics for Detecting and Assessing Factors; Metrics for Factor 1: External Support; Metrics for Factor 2: Government Legitimacy or Effectiveness; Metrics for Factor 3: History of Resistance; Metrics for Factor 4: Poverty and Inequality

Metrics for Factor 5: Fragmented Governance